Published
in 1982, this is the Del Rey Books paperback edition of Aventine (© Lee Killough/Del Rey Books – reproduced here on a
strictly non-commercial Fair Use basis for educational/review purposes only).
Originally published in 1981 in hardback,
Aventine is a collection of short
stories written by American sci fi/fantasy author Lee Killough (b. 1942) that
are all set in the sumptuous, hedonistic resort whose name is the present book's
title. Located on a faraway planet, this outwardly idyllic, peaceful community
is home to all manner of talented artists, gifted musicians, skilful inventors,
celebrated actors, super-wealthy magnates, and other rarefied sophisticates.
But just as Eden contained the serpent, so too does Aventine contain intrinsic,
inherent evil, and madness. Here is this book's official blurb:
Aventine – A haven for the
rich, the powerful, the famous…and the deadly.
Aventine – A resort for the
superrich and the supersophisticated on a bucolic planet at the crossroads of
the civilized galaxy, where lifestyle and living quarters are limited only by
imagination; where furniture changes shape and color to match the owner's mood;
where the statuary moves and the stones sing; where split personalities live
without pressure to become normal…
Aventine – Where beautiful
women and twisted artists can get away with murder.
Aventine is one of the most engrossing
theme-sharing collections of short stories that I have ever read. Like so many
of my classic science fiction and fantasy novels, short story collections, and
anthologies, I purchased it during my university student years during the late
1970s and early 1980s, and have read it many times since then.
Formerly working full-time as a veterinary radiographer before retiring in 2000 and concentrating thereafter upon her successful writing career, Lee Killough is also known for her
vampire-themed Bloodwalk trilogy, her
Brill and Maxwell trilogy, and a
number of other novels.
